Accessory merchandising equipment



Sept. 15, 1964 F; L.'SHELOR ACCESSORY MERCHANDISING EQUIPMENT 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 16, 1962 INVENTOR.

FRED L. .SHELOR ATTORNEY Sept. 15, 1964 F. L. SHELOR 3,143,633

ACCESSORY MERCHANDISING EQUIPMENT Filed May 16, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV EN TOR.

FRED 1.. SHELOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,148,638 AQCESSORYMERCHANDISING EQUIPMENT Fred L. Shelor, 109 Longstreet Ave, Richmond,Va. Filed May 16, 1962, Ser. No. 195,247 11 Claims. (Cl. 108-188) Thisinvention relates to improvements in accessory merchandising equipment,and more particularly in a merchandise display stand of the typevariously known in the trade as a merchandiser, a store-fixture gondola, or simply a gondola.

Heretofore, the standard store-ixture-type gondola utilizing a steelframe has been designed around the concept of a unitized frame of fixedconstruction utilizing strongly welded joints throughout which latter,being largely exposed, must be cleaned and polished before eitherplating or painting of the frame to provide it with its final finish.Obviously, such represents expensive construction and the unitized-framegondola is also open to the objection that it lacks versatility, in thesense that its fixed, welded-type frame limits the center-to-center distance between shelving brackets to a factory-set distance that cannot bechanged to meet varying conditions or requirements which a particulargondola may be called upon to meet in service.

Stated broadly, a major object of the present invention is the provisionof a store-fixture type of gondola for displaying merchandise in masscharacterized by an im proved design which not only greatly reducesconstruc tional costs as compared to those of known gondolas, but alsorenders the final gondola structure extremely versatile and flexible asrespects shelving-bracket spacing.

More particularly, the present invention contemplates and provides agondola in the nature of a store fixture serving as a merchandisedisplay stand, which difiers from gondolas as previously known indeparting from the aforesaid unitized frame concept, and which insteadachieves the requisite structural strength and rigidity in the finallyassembled gondola by combining frame and panel components making up thesame in such a way that they complement one another to a degree largelyover coming the requirement for welded joints and fixed con struction.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a storefixture gondola of a design which not only reduces the requirement ofwelded joints to a minimum but also disposes or locates the joints sothat they are completely out of sight and thus can be left unfinished,thereby providing a simpler and much less expensive construc tion thanheretofore.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of astore-fixture type of gondola comprising a metallic framework made ofstructural members of simple sections and of horizontal deck and uprightcenter or divider panels of inexpensive, readable available panelmaterial, characterized by a design according to which said componentsmay, if desired, be assembled to one another on the site and which alsoprovides that said panels combine with one another and the framework inimparting structural strength and rigidity to the final structure.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a store-fixturetype of gondola as last stated, wherein the framework consists ofspaced-apart combined upright and leg units connected together by acentral longitudinal member, and wherein the spacing between thecombined upright and leg units may be altered to any desiredcenterto-center distance simply by providing holes in said longitudinalmember on the desired spacing and thereupon cutting the divider panelsto proper size so as to fit tightly between the adjacent uprights ofsaid units, should such cutting be necessary.

The above and other more detailed objects and fea- 'ice tures ofadvantages of the invention will appear from the following descriptionthereof, in which reference is had to the accompanying illustrativedrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a typical store-fixture typeof gondola constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar fragmentary perspective view illustrating the basicmetallic framework employed in the gondola shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a broken-away section taken on line 33 of FIG. 1, withshelving removed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the constructional details andthe mounting of a preferred form of the spacer clips employed to spacethe upper ends of the upright divider panels of the gondola shown in theprevious views, for use when front and rear divider panels are employed;and

FIG. 5 is a similar perspective view illustrating the constructionaldetails and manner of use of the preferred clip means employed to securethe horizonal deck panels in place on the horizontal connecting arms ofthe combined upright and leg units.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, a storefixture type ofmerchandise gondola according to the invention comprises a basicnon-unitized and to a degree non-rigid metallic framework F generally asshown in FIG. 2, with which deck panels DP and upright divider panels UP(the latter extending longitudinally-centrally of the gondola for thelength thereof) are combined in such a way as to provide structuralstrength and rigidity to the final structure. More particularly, theframework F which preferably is of the type which is capable of beingassembled in situ, consists of a central longitudinal spine member 10made up of two longitudinal L-angles 10A, 10B disposed in spaced,inverted and back-to-back relation and thus with their vertical flangesparallel and their horizontal flanges, which are upwardly disposedbecause of the inversion, extending away from one another but in thesame plane. As best seen in FIG. 2, the space between the verticalflanges of said L-angles provides accommodation for the lower ends ofthe upright posts (hereinafter for convenience referred to as uprights)of a plurality of spaced-apart combined upright and leg units,preferably of square tube construction throughout. More particularly,each said unit consists of an upright 12, forwardly and rearwardlyextending horizontal arms 14A, 14B rigidly joined at their inner ends tothe front and rear faces of said upright by welding indicated at X, Yand being disposed at a level such that their under sides rest flush onthe horizontal flanges of said L-angles 10A, 10B making up thelongitudinal member 10, and a pair of short-length vertical legs 16A,16B joined to the outer ends of said arms by welding designated Z. Whileby virtue of the welded joints between the uprights and their associatedconnecting arms and between said arms and their associated legs, saidcombined upright and leg units themselves have unitized construction, itis a feature of the invention that said units are not Welded orotherwise aflixed rigidly to said longitudinal member 10, but insteadare simply bolted thereto as by bolts 18, which as seen in FIG. 3 areprojected through registering holes provided in the vertical flanges ofsaid L-angles 10A, 10B making up said longitudinal member and theuprights 12 accommodated in the space therebetween. Thus, asdistinguished from prior store-fixture gondolas employing unitizedmetallic frame structure throughout and which accordingly areobjectionable in that the center-to-center spacing between the uprights12 of the framework (and accordingly between the shelving brackets forthe shelves S1, S2 (FIG. 1) which are conventionally attached at theirrearward ends to said uprights) is factory set, the metallic frameworkaccording to the invention permits the center-to-center spacing betweenthe uprights and thereby between shelving brackets to be changed at willby merely providing one or more holes in the vertical flanges of theL-angles A, 19B for the passage of the securing bolts 18 on theparticular spacing desired for the shelving brackets, and then bycutting the divider panels to the proper size, if such cutting isnecessary.

According to a further feature of the invention, filler blocks 20,preferably fashioned from wood and which are of length as to snugly fitin between the uprights 12 of each two adjacent combined upright and legunits and preferably also having section as to interfit with theaforesaid L-angles 19A, 10B, provide support for the inner edges of thedeck panels DP and a supporting ledge or rest for the vertical dividerpanels UP. More particularly, and referring to FIG. 3, the body of eachsaid filler block 20 has width substantially greater than the spacingbetween the vertical flanges of the L-angles 10A and 18B, and thus theblock is well bottomed as the horizontal top flanges thereof, and itsvertical dimension equals the distance between the top face of thehorizontal flanges of said L-angles and the plane containing the topfaces of the horizontal connecting arms of the combined upright and legunits. Although not shown, the ends of the filler blocks 20 abut theside faces of the uprights 12 and the connecting arms 14A and 1413between which they eX- tend. Thus, the deck panels DP resting on theconnecting arms outwardly of the upright divider panels are supportedalong their inner edges by said filler blocks 20 whose exposed uppersurfaces are at the same level as the top surfaces of said connectingarms.

FIG. 3 also shows that according to the preferred section of said fillerblocks each is provided with a relatively wide rib or tongue 22projecting downwardly from its under face, whose width corresponds tothe spacing between the vertical flanges of the L-angles 16A, 16B. Sucharrangement provides that the filler blocks are held in place upontightening of the bolts 18, consequent to the bottom rib 22 being ineffect clamped between the vertical flanges of said L-angles. Each ofthe filler blocks 20 is also provided with a centrally disposed,upper-face rib 24 serving as a spacer rib which fixes the spacingbetween the front and rear upright divider panels, where two such panels(here designated UP and UP rather than a single upright divider panel,is employed. It will be observed from FIG. 3 that the disposition andthickness of the upper-face ribs 24 of said filler blocks is such as toset back the vertical front and rear faces of the ribs from the frontand rear face lines of the upright 12 by amounts corresponding to thethicknesses of the upright divider panels. Accordingly, when thestructure is fully assembled, the front and rear face lines of thedivider panels will be in the same vertical plane as those containingthe front and rear faces of said uprights 12, i.e. the outer faces ofthe panels will be flush with the outer faces of the uprights betweenwhich they extend.

FIG. 3 also illustrates that according to this invention final placementof the horizontal deck panels DP locks the lower edges of the uprightdivider panels UP and UP in place, such of course assuming that saidupright panels have been first positioned as shown with their said loweredges resting on the top surfaces of the filler blocks just outwardly ofthe upper-face ribs 24 thereof and that the deck panels DP have beenpushed home, i.e. moved against said upright panels by an amount so asto clampingly secure the supported lower edges of the latter panelsagainst the side faces of the upper-face ribs 24.

Both to secure the deck panels DP in place on the connecting arms 14Aand 14B of the combined upright and leg units and in such a relativelyinward position which is such that they lock the lower edges of theupright divider panels UP and UP in place as aforesaid, securing clips26 whose constructional details and manner of use are best shown inFIGS. 3 and 5. More particularly, said clips each preferably comprises astrap bent to U-form 4. so as to provide a channel portion 26adimensioned so as to snugly embrace a connecting arm and spaced,laterally extending attaching ears 26b and 26c which are apertured forthe passage of deck-panel securing bolts 28 shown in FIG. 3, this viewfurther illustrating that in the final structure, the heads of saidbolts are flush with the top surface of the deck panels so as not tointerfere with merchandise placed thereon or with movement of saidmerchandise therealong.

It is contemplated that the deck panels DP will have width which is amultiple of the spacing between the connecting arms 14A or 14B ofadjacent combined upright and leg units, so that they (the panels) canbe supported at both their side edges and at intermediate locations oftheir width on at least three connecting arms lying to the same side ofthe uprights. In such case, clips 26 will be employed to secure eachpanel to the intermediate connecting arms and also to the connectingarms underlying its side edges. In the case of two adjacent deck panelsarranged in adjacency with their adjacent side edges abutting oneanother along a line corresponding to the center line of a connectingarm, an arrangement which is shown in FIG. 1, a single clip extendingunder said arm and having its attaching ears secured one to one panelside edge and the other to the other panel edge, will suffice to secureboth edges in place.

According to yet another feature of the invention, which assumes the useof spaced-apart front and rear upright divider panels UP and UP as inFIG. 3, the upper edges of said panels are maintained in properly spacedrelationship (corresponding to that of their lower edges which arespaced by the spacer ribs 24 of the filler blocks) as by means of spacerclips 30 whose construe tion and manner of functioning are seen in FIGS.3 and 4. More particularly, each said spacer clip comprises twodownwardly opening channel portions 30a, 3% which are spaced apart by anintegral connecting web 300 of width corresponding to the width of theaforesaid spacer ribs 24. Said channel portions are dimensioned tosnugly receive the top edges of two companion spaced panel members andwhen assembled thereto as in FIG. 3, the connecting webs 39c of theclips will then space said top edges the proper amount. Preferably, twosuch clips will be employed for each panel width, and they are appliedby simply clipping over the top edges of the upright panels at spacedlocations therealong.

Since the clips 30 are of relatively narrow width as compared to thefull width of the upright panels, a 10ngitudinal cap member 32 ofinverted channel section serving both to close off and frame the topedges of said panels 15 provided. As seen in FIG. 3, the width of thechannel is slightly greater than the distance between the outer faces ofthe upright panels, thus to accommodate for two thicknesses of thematerial from which said clips 30 are fashioned. Accordingly, saidlongitudinal cap member 32 may be applied simply by fitting same overthe upper edges of the upright divider panels and intervening uprights12 of the combined post and leg units, it being understood that saiduprights have the same front-to-rear dimension as the spacing betweenthe relatively front and rear faces of the spaced upright panels. In afinal operation, the cap member or channel 32 is preferably secured tothe upper ends of the aforesaid uprights 12 by expansion-type bolts 34extending into uprights, as seen in FIG. 1, whereupon said member 32 notonly caps and seals off the upper edges of both uprights and uprightpanels, but also frames the top edge of the entire structure thus givingit a finished appearance.

Store-fixture gondolas are usually formed or provided wlth upright endpanels serving to close off the ends of such shelving as is employed andalso to provide additional display space or area. The present gondoladesign lends itself to the incorporation of such end panels and theirsupporting framework. More particularly, each upright end panelframework (designated EP in FIG. 2)

comprises two combined upright and leg units each consisting of anupright 42, connecting arm 44 and leg 46 corresponding in all respectsto the aforesaid uprights and leg units 1216B, but minus one said armand its associated leg thereof. Said end frame is secured to the mainframework, as previously described, by bolting the uprights 42 thereofto the connecting arms 14A and 14B of the endmost of the combinedupright and leg units 12-16B of said main framework. Preferably the twoend framework units are also tied together adjacent their lower ends byan end L-angle iron 48 which is disposed in spaced parallel relation tothe connecting arms 14A and 14B of said endmost unit, with the uprights42 of the end frames extending through said space. The uprights 42 ofsaid end framework units 42, 44, 45 are tied together at their upperends by a cap channel corresponding to the aforesaid cap channel 32 ofthe main framework.

As seen in FIG. 1, an end upright panel UP is fitted into the spacebetween the two uprights 42 of the end frame and is supported on edge byan end filler block (not shown) corresponding generally to the aforesaidfiller blocks 20 but extending at a right angle thereto, and whichextends between the said two uprights 42 and is supported on and fittedto the space between said connecting arms 14A, 14B of the endmost,combined upright and leg unit and said end L-angle iron 48. An end deckpanel or slab EP supported on the horizontal connecting arms 44 of theend frame 42, 44 and 46 may be secured in place thereon as by thepreviously described clips 26. When so secured, the end deck panel willbear tight against the lower end of the end upright panel UP and thuslock it in place, in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 3.

As will be further seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, all uprights and legs areprovided with leveling type feet designated 52, and thus the gondola mayreadily be levelled when finally assembled at its site of use.

FIG. 2 also generally shows the manner in which the brackets employed tosupport the shelving panels SP illustrated in FIG. 1 are arranged.Preferably, such brackets B are constructed similarly to theshelf-supporting brackets disclosed and claimed in my prior application,Serial No. 178,659, filed March 9, 1962, now US. Patent No. 3,102,499entitled Shelf Construction, and accordingly the shelving panels SP willbe provided with a front edge molding strip MS of the type alsodisclosed and claimed in said application.

Without further description, it will be appreciated that a store-fixturetype of gondola as described achieves the objectives of the invention asexplained in the foregoing in simple yet effective manner. Moreparticularly, by departing from the accepted concept of the factoryunitized frame of initially fixed and rigid construction, and by insteadinterrelating upright divider panels with a series of individual uprightand leg units in such a way that said panels square up and brace theunits against sidewise movement, to a degree imparting rigidity to thefinal structure, not only are construction costs kept low, but also thestructure is versatile and flexible as respects spacing of said uprightand leg units, on which shelvingbracket spacing depends. Thus, thepresent gondola design permits the spacing between the upright and legunits to be altered to any desired center-to-center distance betweenunits, simply by providing holes for the securing bolts employed inplace of welding in the longitudinal member which ties said upright andleg units together.

Another notable advantage accruing from the present gondola design isthat, whereas the unitized frame as heretofore constructed requireswelded joints at locations which are exposed and open to view, whichwelds must be ground off and polished prior to either plating orpainting the frame to give same its final finish, a gondola according tothe invention employs relatively few welded joints, and since these areall located below the horizontal deck panel or slab and hence completelyout of sight, they require no grinding or smoothing, thus resulting in amuch simpler and much less expensive construction.

With respect to the panels employed for the deck or base slab or slabs,and also for the upright panel members, and which it is to be understoodcan be made of hardboard, fiberboard including peg board, plywood, andsuch other suitable panel-material, it is observed that the cuttingthereof to proper size at the site of assembly or use represents theonly fabrication required to enable them to play their part in thestructural arrangement contemplated, and since this cutting isinexpensive, as compared to the cost of unitizing the frame, theadvantages of the invention was realized at very low cost.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructionswithout departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended thatall matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

I claim:

1. A store-fixture gondola for displaying merchandis comprising, incombination, a metallic framework including a longitudinal spine memberand a plurality of combined upright, horizontal arm and leg unitsnon-rigidly secured to said longitudinal member in spaced-apart relationand in such manner as to support the longitudinal member at a fixedraised level, said longitudinal member comprising two L-angles disposedin inverted, oppositely turned and spaced-apart relationship thereby toprovide a vertical through space between the vertical flanges thereof,the uprights of said units extending vertically through said space,cross bolts passing through said vertical flanges and uprights andnon-rigidly securing the uprights to said longitudinal member, fillerblocks extending between said uprights and being supported on theoppositely disposed horizontal flanges of said L-angles, said blockshaving underface portions fitted to and extending into the space betweenthe vertical flanges of said L- angles and upper-face edge portionsproviding longitudinal supporting surfaces, and horizontal and uprightpanels asembled to said framework with the bottom edges of said uprightpanels and the inner edges of said horizontal deck panels resting onsaid supporting surfaces, said upright panels extending between andhaving width substantially equal to the spacing between the uprights ofsaid units and coacting therewith in manner as to supply rigidity tosaid framework.

2. A store-fixture gondola according to claim 1, wherein said uprightmembers are afiixed to said vertical flanges of the spaced L-anglesmaking up the longitudinal member by bolts on any desiredcenter-to-center distances between upright members, and said horizontalpanels are supported on the horizontal arms of said units and with theirinner edges resting on said upper-face edge portions of the fillerblocks as aforesaid resting on said upper-face edge portions of thefiller blocks.

3. A store-fixture gondola according to claim 2, wherein the fillerblocks each has a vertical abutment surface disposed just inwardly ofits said upper-face edge portion and defining therewith a right-angled,outwardly facing corner, the bottom edges of the upright panels seatingin said corner and the inner edges of the horizontal deck panels bearingagainst and locking the lower edges of the upright panels in saidcorner.

4. A store-fixture gondola for displaying merchandise comprising ametallic framework including a centrally disposed, longitudinallyextending spine member, a plurality of spaced-apart combined upright andleg units aflixed to and being tied together by said longitudinalmember, said units each comprising an upright member and a pair of legmembers rigidly connected thereto by horizontal connecting armsextending forwardly and rearwardly from said upright member, woodenfiller blocks extending between said upright members and being supportedon said longitudinal member, said blocks having upper-face side edgesurfaces disposed in the same horizontal plane as that containing thetop surfaces of said connecting arms and an intermediate, longitudinallyextending upper-face rib, forward and rearward upright panels extendingbetween and fitted to the space between said upright members and restingon edge on said upperface side-edge surfaces of the filler blocks andbeing spaced along their lower edges by said rib, spacer clips appliedto the upper edges of the panels and spacing said edges the samedistance as their lower edges, and forward and rearward horizontal deckpanels supported at intervals of their width by the connecting arms andresting along their inner edges on said side'edge surfaces of the fillerblocks just outwardly of an associated upright panel, and means securingthe horizontal deck panels to the connecting arms in position as to lockthe lower edges of the upright panels in place against the upper-facerib of the filler block.

5. A store-fixture gondola according to claim 4, which further comprisesa longitudinal, downwardly opening channel member atfixed to the upperends of the upright members and extending over and capping the spacedupper edges of the upright panels, and the upper ends of said uprightmembers.

6. A store-fixture gondola for displaying merchandise comprising, incombination: a metallic framework including a horizontally disposed,longitudinal spine member and supporting units for supporting said spinemember at a level above that of a floor surface; said units eachcomprising an upright disposed generally in the vertical plane of saidspine member, deck-panel supporting arms extending horizontally from andsymmetrically to opposite sides of said spine member and verticalsupporting legs depending from the outer ends of said arms; means forsecuring the units to the spine member at selected locations along thelength of the latter which are determinable during assembly of theframework on the site; horizontal deck panels extending outwardly fromthe uprights and being supported in horizontal position on saidhorizontal arms; and upright panels disposed above and supported on edgefrom the spine member and extending between the uprights of adjacentsupporting units, said upright panels each having width substantiallyequal to the spacing between the uprights of adjacent supporting unitsand disposed with its side edges abutting the facing sides of saidadjacent uprights, whereby said panels supply rigidity in lengthwisedirection to the framework.

7. A store-fixture gondola accordng to claim 6, wherein the means forsecuring each said supporting unit to the longitudinal spine membercomprises a bolt and a fastening nut.

8. A store-fixture gondola according to claim 6, wherein the horizontaldeck panels are secured to their horizontal supporting arms by U-clipssecured to the under face of said panels and being clipped to said arms.

9. A store-fixture gondola according to claim 6, wherein thelongitudinal spine member comprises two L-angles disposed in inverted,back-to-back relation and with their vertical flanges being spaced aparta distance corresponding to the thickness dimension of said uprights,and wherein said uprights extend through the space between said flangesand are secured thereto by a bolt passing through the upright and bothsaid vertical flanges.

10. A store-fixture gondola according to claim 6, wherein filler membersare disposed on the longitudinal spine member and extend between theuprights of adjacent supporting units, said filler members providing abottom-edge supporting surface for the upright panels.

11. A store-fixture gondola according to claim 6, wherein said frameworkincludes at least three supporting units as aforesaid, of which two aredisposed at the opposite ends of the longitudinal spine member, and thethird is disposed intermediate said ends, and wherein at least the thirdsupporting unit is secured to said member at a selected variablelocation therealong.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,346,150 Brown Apr. 11, 1944 2,787,382 Williams Apr. 2, 1957 2,803,351Wiggeren Aug. 20, 1957 2,872,049 Slater Feb. 3, 1959 3,044,632 SchildJuly 17, 1962 3,044,634 Oztekin July 17, 1962 3,080,980 Gibbons Mar. 12,1963 3,081,718 Shoflner Mar. 19, 1963

1. A STORE-FIXTURE GONDOLA FOR DISPLAYING MERCHANDISE COMPRISING, INCOMBINATION, A METALLIC FRAMEWORK INCLUDING A LONGITUDINAL SPINE MEMBERAND A PLURALITY OF COMBINED UPRIGHT, HORIZONTAL ARM AND LEG UNITSNON-RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID LONGITUDINAL MEMBER IN SPACED-APART RELATIONAND IN SUCH MANNER AS TO SUPPORT THE LONGITUDINAL MEMBER AT A FIXEDRAISED LEVEL, SAID LONGITUDINAL MEMBER COMPRISING TWO L-ANGLES DISPOSEDIN INVERTED, OPPOSITELY TURNED AND SPACED-APART RELATIONSHIP THEREBY TOPROVIDE A VERTICAL THROUGH SPACE BETWEEN THE VERTICAL FLANGES THEREOF,THE UPRIGHTS OF SAID UNITS EXTENDING VERTICALLY THROUGH SAID SPACE,CROSS BOLTS PASSING THROUGH SAID VERTICAL FLANGES AND UPRIGHTS ANDNON-RIGIDLY SECURING THE UPRIGHTS TO SAID LONGITUDINAL MEMBER, FILLERBLOCKS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID UPRIGHTS AND BEING SUPPORTED ON THEOPPOSITELY DISPOSED HORIZONTAL FLANGES OF SAID L-ANGLES, SAID BLOCKSHAVING UNDERFACE PORTIONS FITTED TO AND EXTENDING INTO THE SPACE BETWEENTHE VERTICAL FLANGES OF SAID LANGLES AND UPPER-FACE EDGE PORTIONSPROVIDING LONGITUDINAL SUPPORTING SURFACES, AND HORIZONTAL AND UPRIGHTPANELS ASEMBLED TO SAID FRAMEWORK WITH THE BOTTOM EDGES OF SAID UPRIGHTPANELS AND THE INNER EDGES OF SAID HORIZONTAL DECK PANELS RESTING ONSAID SUPPORTING SURFACES, SAID UPRIGHT PANELS EXTENDING BETWEEN ANDHAVING WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE SPACING BETWEEN THE UPRIGHTS OFSAID UNITS AND COACTING THEREWITH IN MANNER AS TO SUPPLY RIGIDITY TOSAID FRAMEWORK.